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October 9, 2014

Common Safety Signs for Hazardous Sites

On any work site where
heavy machinery or potentially hazardous equipment, chemicals or other dangers are
present, it’s vital to have the correct safety signs and notices to help keep everyone
safe - and to reduce your liability. ComplianceSigns.com has the internationally recognized signs for about
any scenario you can imagine.

For example, a growing
industry right now is fracking. The number of fracking sites in the United
States has exploded in recent years as we aim to hone our use of natural gas to
reduce our dependence on foreign oil. While it’s an exciting and relatively new
area, fracking sites pose new risks and hazards for workers and site visitors.
This makes it that much more important to have the proper signs, notices and
warnings to keep everyone safe. Of course, many of these signs are important in other scenarios, but here are a few that can
make a huge difference in worker safety at potentially hazardous sites:

With many sites, there
are industrial uses for water and with fracking in particular water plays an
important part. However, as we all know, not all water is created equal and
drinking contaminated water can have fatal results. This means it’s vitally
important to mark all water pipes and outlets according to their safety. It’s
both for visitors and workers but also people who may be working directly with
or around the pipes. A burst pipe of contaminated water could be a hazardous
situation and needs to be treated with the utmost caution.Underground Utility Markers:

For construction zones
or other places where you break the ground knowing where your underground
utility pipes and wires are is extremely important. Not only do you run the
risk when hitting them of causing a dangerous leak, but it also affects other
uses of that pipeline, potentially cutting off homeowner’s supply ‒ and we all
know what happens when you hit an underground electric cable. That’s why it’s so important to mark underground utilities
with proper signs.

Any potentially dangerous
machinery should have an emergency shut-off sign or label to indicate the stop
switch. When you’re working with major pieces of equipment the margin of error
is slim, and that’s even if you’re an expert. With the number of everyday
distractions facing all of us, an accident is not unlikely, which means
everyone knowing where the emergency off switches are is that much more
important.First Aid/Fire Symbols:

In the event of anyone
injuring themselves, time is of the essence, so being able to quickly and
conveniently locate the first aid kit is important. Signs should be easily
visible to anyone on the site to prevent any confusion during a time when
immediate attention could be vital. And when you’re working with potentially
hazardous flammable materials, fire extinguishers can make the difference
between an accident and a catastrophe. Not only should they be placed liberally
around the work zone, but also clearly and visibility labeled with fire extinguisher signs.

Almost any work site has
a laundry list of potential hazards, so covering all your bases, and making
sure they’re all clearly and properly labeled will decrease the likelihood of
any accident. At dangerous sites prevention is key, so proactively making sure
everyone is aware of the hazards is a step forward to creating a safer work site
for everyone. This includes clearly marking any required attire like hard hat signs, eye protection signs, and respirator signs.

Of course, there are
dozens more uses for signs that you’ll likely come across. Luckily for you,
you’ve found ComplianceSigns, which has signs for
nearly any situation you could come across. In situations where there is a
clear and present danger, it’s up to those in charge to make sure you’ve got
everything clearly labeled and taken care of in a proactive, rather than
reactive way.